As part of a dental prophylaxis, the teeth are polished by applying a small rubber cup, commonly called a prophy cup, and pumice paste. The prophy cup is filled or loaded with the pumice paste and then held against the surface of a tooth while being mechanically rotated, e.g. by means of a prophy angle. This forces the pumice paste to abrade across the surface of the tooth, thereby polishing it. The pumice paste commonly comes in granule sizes of coarse, medium, fine, and extra-fine.
A common problem with known devices of this type is the difficulty in retaining the pumice paste within the prophy cup as the cup is being rotated against the tooth. The force of the rotating cup causes the pumice to be thrown away from the tooth making it necessary to refill the prophy cup many times during the prophylaxis procedure. Another common problem with known devices is the difficulty in loading or filling the prophy cup with the pumice paste while performing the dental prophylaxis. A very large problem exists at the receiving end of the dental prophylaxis polishing: the patient's discomfort at having the mouth repeatedly filled with the sandy pumice. Children are particularly vocal in their dislike of this part of the procedure. Many patients are very painfully sensitive to the flavoring agents the manufacturers put in the pumice pastes. To adjust the patient's comfort level, the person performing the dental prophylaxis must stop and have the patient rinse frequently, thereby adding more, and costly, time to the prophylaxis procedure.
A common problem that occurs during the dental prophylaxis is that the dentist or dental hygienist has to use the conventional rubber prophylaxis cup and dip it into a pumice compound numerous times. This means that the patient must rinse the mouth numerous times. But, this portion of the dental prophylaxis may not be eliminated as it is essential to obtain a smooth tooth surface to prevent an otherwise rapid regrowth of unwanted material on the just-scaled tooth. Another problem is that fluoride delivery to the tooth must be done separately, following the pumicing of the teeth, which contributes to longer, non-productive, chair time. Similarly, during gum surgery, it is often desired to polish newly-exposed root surface. This can not be done without introducing a foreign irritant (pumice) into the wound. During the maintenance visits a patient has following gingival surgery, it is undesirable to introduce pumice into a gingival pocket that is to be cleaned and irrigated until such time that it is reduced to an acceptable size. Along with periodontal surgery, these days we have many patients who have dental implants made of metal that are surgically embedded in the jaw bone, with a small portion rising above the gum line. These implants accumulate oral debris but must be treated with great care and delicacy so as not to scratch the metal or introduce pumice into the implant site. Also, practioners find that the pumice dilutes too rapidly in the patient's saliva and is altogether a messy procedure. Another problem with loose pumice is that it invades the prophylaxis angle to which the prophylaxis cup attaches and causes premature wear of the gears.
Regarding dental restorations, a popular acrylic material commonly referred to as "bonding" material, requires a smooth margin or edge. Very often these fillings are very close to the gingiva or gum line and sometimes are placed slightly below the gum line. Up until now, the only smoothing devices have been flat sanding discs on a post driven by a dental handpiece, and sanding strips. The disc can not conform to the curvature of the tooth, nor can it pass beneath the unattached gingiva at the cervical portion of the tooth. The strip can not smooth the convex or concave surface of the tooth. In attempts to use the existing devices, patients have had their tissues cut and torn, but often the fillings just do not get properly finished in order to avoid the resulting tissue trauma.
PROIR ART
A common problem with known devices of the conventional type of prophy cup is that a pumice, in the form of prophy paste, must be added to the cup in order to effect a polished surface.
Another common problem with trying to obtain a polished surface is the brutality to the soft tissue in the mouth of the currently used sanding discs and strips.
Existing prior patents which may be pertinent to the present invention are the following:
Stay Full-easy Load "Turbo" Prophylactic Polishing Cup, U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,180 May 29, 1990 cl 433/166, is a conventional type prophy cup that requires the addition of pumice.
Dental Polisher, U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,208 May 8, 1984 cl 433/166, is not a conventional type prophy cup where the body should be longer and narrower to conform with the required shape and size needed to thoroughly and comfortably contact all available parts of the human tooth. It also is lacking specific and graded abrasive grain sizes to give the operator a choice of finish desired.
Abrasive-Filled Dental Prophylactic Cup, U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,462 Feb. 5, 1974 cl 32/59, is somewhat similar to the traditional type prophy cup in that it has the general shape although it has very short internal capacity. It does have an abrasive lining but it combines large and small grades of abrasive material in the same cup resulting in only large grade abrasive contact with the tooth surface, the large particle overriding the small particle ever making contact with the tooth. This does not allow the operator a choice of particle size. This cup also does not of offer a choice of means of attachment to the dental handpiece. Prior art does not offer a prophy cup long enough to be flexible and manageable.
Dental Prophylaxis Implement, U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,333 Aug. 17, 1971 cl 32/59, is a traditional type prophy cup which requires the addition of pumice.
Tooth Polishing Cup, U.S. Pat. No. 2,789,352 Apr. 23, 1957 cl 32/59, is a prophy cup along the lines of the traditional prophy cup which requires the addition of pumice.
Prophylactic Dental Handpiece, U.S. Pat. No. 2,738,528 Mar. 20, 1956 cl 15/97, is a device known a contra-angle which holds the traditional type prophy cup. In this invention, the contra-angle has a means of supplying the added pumice to the prophy cup, that prophy cup not having any pumice of its own.
Motor Driven Tooth Cleaning Device, U.S. Pat. No. 2,226,145 Dec. 24, 1940 cl 15/29, is a device with the general characteristics of the contra-angle and the traditional prophy cup but dispenses a germicidal agent, and meant for home use, to clean ones teeth where the contemporary toothbrush failed.